Spike
Storm Tracker
Reged: Wed
Posts: 221
Loc: Central, Florida
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I have an uncle who lives in kansas who is a storm chaser and is offering to take me along with him next year. He has equipment already but im just curious what type of equipment would be best for this? Every year he goes out and follows tornados in "Tornado Alley" and he thought i might enjoy going along.
thanks for the help,
Spike 
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Patrick
God Bless America
Be proud of your Country!
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LI Phil
User
Reged: Fri
Posts: 2637
Loc: Long Island (40.7N 73.6W)
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Spike,
Here's what you'll need:
Instrumentation: The following items should accompany you on your storm chase:
Cameras, film, batteries, filters and lenses Non-metal Tripod for still and video photography Highway maps and local street maps Tape recorder and cassette tapes for documenting time, location, and camera shots Money for food, gas, and emergencies Protective outerwear and raingear Food and water First aid kit Radio,Weather radio
Personnel: A chase team should always have at least two members, with a third person highly recommended:
Driver Responsible for proper functioning of vehicle(s) Pays attention to the road during travel Determines best route decision.
Navigator Documents vehicle's direction on tape recorders, noting road intersections, landmarks, towns, rivers, etc. Documents stops and starts by odometer reading Documents specific local landmarks at film sites Keeps track of team's location on the map at all times Briefs the driver on best routes Assumes observer's role if not present (see below)
Observer Documents all interesting weather phenomena Checks all equipment prior to chase Readies equipment during chase Records wind speed and direction; takes other readings Helps navigator determine best route
Documentation: Good documentation is essential to the success of the chase. Documentation should include descriptions of the following:
Storm Structure
Tornadic stage of the storm
Local weather
Hail
Lightning
Happy Chasing!
LI Phil
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2005 Forecast: 14/7/4
BUCKLE UP!
"If your topic ain't tropic, your post will be toast"
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Spike
Storm Tracker
Reged: Wed
Posts: 221
Loc: Central, Florida
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Thanks alot! Next year when we go out I will have to see if he has any of the equiptment that you mentioned. He has a 9 person chase team which is pretty cool he sets up becons and find out all the info about the tornado when it goes over the becon. Anyway thanks alot man.
Spike
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Patrick
God Bless America
Be proud of your Country!
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LI Phil
User
Reged: Fri
Posts: 2637
Loc: Long Island (40.7N 73.6W)
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Have you seen the movie "Twister"? While that one wasn't as bad as The Day After Tomorrow, it was a bit over the top. However, it is a fairly accurate account of storm chasers and what they go through. Just don't hide in a barn filled with machetes and the like (if you saw the movie, you know what I'm referring to).
To get yourself psyched, go to Google and simply type in "Storm Chase" (not Chasing or Chaser) and you've hit the mother lode. Probably 100 or so sites either directly related to storm chases or describing them.
Of course, after your chase, you'll have to post here and let everyone know how it went.
Cheers,
LI Phil
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2005 Forecast: 14/7/4
BUCKLE UP!
"If your topic ain't tropic, your post will be toast"
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Spike
Storm Tracker
Reged: Wed
Posts: 221
Loc: Central, Florida
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Surprisingly I actually havnt seen twister. I guess i never got around to renting it or getting it. And I will check out google for storm chase websites "thanks". And i will definetly post on here about the storm chasing experence. I dont know if i would be able to but maby if i got some footage i could try to post it on a homepage or something, or possibly on here. Thanks again!
Spike
--------------------
Patrick
God Bless America
Be proud of your Country!
|
LI Phil
User
Reged: Fri
Posts: 2637
Loc: Long Island (40.7N 73.6W)
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Spike,
Get your bad self down to Blockbuster RIGHT NOW and rent Twister. One of the best "weather" movies ever made. I'm not a big fan of Helen Hunt or Bill Paxton (the main stars), but they acquit themselves quite well in the movie.
http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0117998/
If you can get any chasing video/stills, we'll figure a way to get them posted here.
Cheers,
LI Phil
Edited by LI Phil (Wed Jul 07 2004 08:44 PM)
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Spike
Storm Tracker
Reged: Wed
Posts: 221
Loc: Central, Florida
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Yea that sounds like a good idea. Its a movie i have wanted to see for a very long time but i never took the time to see it  .
And that would be great if we could footage posted thanks for all the help
Spike
Oh I almost forgot to ask, is there any other weather movies "worthy" of watching. Thanks again.
--------------------
Patrick
God Bless America
Be proud of your Country!
|
LI Phil
User
Reged: Fri
Posts: 2637
Loc: Long Island (40.7N 73.6W)
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No movie is purely about the weather, but a couple (top of my head) come to mind:
Armageddon
Deep Impact
Earthquake
Twister (duh)
The Wizard of Oz
The Posidon Adventure
Singin' in the Rain (DO NOT RENT THIS)
and there was one starring one of the dudes from Beverly Hills 90215 that was about a 400 mph hurricane in LA. Yeah, like that's gonna happen.
There are probably more, but that's just off the top of my head. Twister is probably the best of the lot...
Cheers,
LI Phil
--------------------
2005 Forecast: 14/7/4
BUCKLE UP!
"If your topic ain't tropic, your post will be toast"
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Spike
Storm Tracker
Reged: Wed
Posts: 221
Loc: Central, Florida
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Ok, awsome thanks. I'm going ot have to rent a few of those and just kick back one weekend and watch em. Thanks,
Spike
--------------------
Patrick
God Bless America
Be proud of your Country!
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